Sabatello vs. Magomedov, Larkin vs. Koreshkov Added to Bellator-Rizin Show

The lineup for the Bellator MMA-Rizin Fighting Federation card continues to grow, as two bouts were announced for the Bellator portion of the show on Tuesday.

Danny Sabatello will square off against Magomed Magomedov in a bantamweight clash, while Lorenz Larkin will face Andrey Koreshkov in a welterweight rematch on July 30 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

Bellator MMA x Rizin features a lightweight grand prix showdown between A.J. McKee and Patricky Freire as well as a clash for the promotion’s inaugural flyweight championship pitting Kyoji Horiguchi against Makoto Takahashi. The promotion announced that the Bellator portion of the card, which takes place in a cage, will be broadcast live in the United States on Showtime at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT. The Rizin part of the card, which will be contested in a ring, will not air on Showtime.

A former wrestler at Purdue University, Sabatello has made a name for himself due to his outspoken persona. The ex-Titan FC title holder rebounded from a loss to Raufeon Stots in the 135-pound grand prix to score a second-round submission win over Marcos Breno in his most recent outing at Bellator 294. He has been victorious in four of his five promotional appearances.

Magomedov, meanwhile, is coming off a loss to interim bantamweight king Patrick Mix in the semifinals of the grand prix. The Russian’s 19-3 mark includes a win over former UFC champ Petr Yan under the Absolute Championship Berkut banner.

Larkin and Koreshkov initiall fought at Bellator 229 in October 2019, with Larkin emerging with a split-decision triumph. Including that bout, Larkin is in the midst of an eight-bout unbeaten streak in Bellator. He last appeared at Bellator 290, where he knocked out Mukhamed Berkhamov in the first-round on Feb. 4.

A former Bellator welterweight champion, Koreshkov has won four straight bouts since the aforementioned setback against Larkin. Two of those victories came in the California-based promotion: a 38-second knockout of Chance Recountre at Bellator 274 and a unanimous verdict over Sabah Homasi at Bellator 264.